The construction of ships, including barges, traditionally has been performed at sites adjacent to bodies of water, e.g., next to rivers, lakes, inlets, canals, and oceans. With the desirability of waterfront properties having increased for residential and recreational use and for use by the hotel and restaurant industries, the cost and value of waterfront property has also increased. In other instances, waterfront land may also be marked for environmental protection as sensitive or threatened habitats and ecosystems, which further reduces the availability of such land for industrial use.
A need exists for barge designs that may be constructed in locations that are not waterfront but which may be transported by road or railway to a waterfront location for assembly. A need also exists for an assembly system that may be transported from a first site to a second site for use in assembling such a barge next to a body of water.